TAT 



T A L 



filver, the two fums would he equal. As David reigned in 

 Judea after the ilege of Troy, it is not improbable but 

 Homer and he .-inght ufe the fame numeral talent of gold. 



It is fuggefted by Mr. Piiikerton (ElTay on Medals, 

 vol.i.p. 65.) thatall the ancient coins of Afia, Africa, Greece, 

 Magna GrKcia, and Sicily, were reducible to three talents 

 or ftandards. i. That of Egina, ufed in moft of the more 

 ancient filver coinages ; and as it would feem in even the 

 later of Egypt, Carthage, Greece, &c. 2. The Attic, 

 being the Afiatic gold ftandard ; afterwards ufed by Phidon, 

 ling of Argos, in eftimating gold, and called Euboic, from 

 Eubosa, one of the quarters of the city of Argos. It was 

 afterwards ufed in Athens, and the greater part of the 

 world, as the ftandard both of gold and filver. 3. The 

 Doric, or Sicilian talent, of 24 nummi, each worth an obolus 

 end a half : whence the talent is eftimated at fix Attic 

 drachms, or three darics. Thefe weights continued to be 

 the ftandard of money after it began to be diftinguiftied by 

 impreflion ; nay, to the fall of Greece, and prevalence of 

 the Roman empire. 



Among the Romans there were two kinds of talents, the 

 tittle and the great talent ; the little was the common talent ; 

 and whenever they fay fimply talentum, they are to be under- 

 ftood of this : the Iktle talent was fixty minas or Roman 

 poimds ; the mina, or pound, eftimated at one hundred 

 drachmx, or denarii : it was alfo eftimated at twenty-four 

 great fefterces, which amounted to fixty pounds. 



The great talent exceeded the lefs by one-third part. 

 Budsus computes, that the little talent of filver was worth 

 75/. fterling ; and the greater 99/. 6s. 8rf. fterling. The 

 greater of gold was worth 1 125/. fterling. 



Talent, as afpec'ies, or money, among the Hebrews, was 

 fometimes ufed for a gold coin, the fame with the Jheiel 

 of gold, called alfo /later, and weighing only four drachms. 

 The Hebrews reckoned by thefe talents as we do by 

 pounds, &c. Thus a million of gold, or million of talents 

 of gold, among them, was a million of ftiekels, or nummi ; 

 the nummus of gold being the fame weight with the ftiekel, 

 ■viz. four drachms. 



But the Hebrew talent weight of filver, which they 

 called dear, was equivalent to that of three thoufand ftiekels 

 (Exod. xxxviii. 25. 28.) or one hundred and thirteen pounds, 

 ten ounces, one pennyweight, ten grains and two-fevenths, 

 Englifti troy weight, according to Arbuthnot's compu- 

 tation. 



It ftiould be obferved, however, that the talent was not 

 every where the fame. The Hebrew talent weighed more 

 than that of the Greeks, and is faid to have amounted to 

 341/. 10s. A^d. and J. The common Attic talent might be 

 ■worth about 193/. 15/. which might probably have been 

 ufed by the Jews in their commerce. 



TALESj in Law, a fupply or addition of men for thofe 

 impannelled on a jury of inqueft, and not appearing, or at 

 their appearance challenged by either party as not indifferent. 



In I'uch cafe, the judge, upon motion, grants fupply to be 

 made by tlie (heriff^ of one or more tales, fuch as are prefent 

 inecjrt, equal in reputation to thofe impannelled. For this 

 purpofe, a writ of decern tales, o&o tales, and the like, was ufed 

 to be ifliied to the fheriff' at common law ; and muft be ftill 

 fo done at the trial at bar, if the jurors make default ; but 

 at the affizes, or nifi prius, by virtue of the ftatute 

 35 Hen. VIII. c. 6. and other fubfequent ftatutes, the 

 judge is impowercd, at the prayer of either party, to award 

 a tales de c'lrcumjlantthus, of perfons prefent in court, to be 

 joined to the other jurors to try the caufe ; who are liable, 

 however, to the fame challenges as the principal jurors. 

 This is ufually done till the legal number of twelve be com- 



pleted. The tales de c'lrcumjlant'ibus is jn fome mcafure rfn- 

 dered ufelefs by the ftatute fur regulating juries, 3 Geo. II. 

 c. 25. See Challengk and Juiiv. 



TALGA, in Geography, a town of Hungary ; 8 milet 

 N. of Tokay. 



TALGARTH, a fmall town in a hundred of the 

 fame name, and county of Brecon, South Wales, is fituated 

 on the banks of the river Llyfni, at one end of the Black 

 Mountains, which ftretch hence into Hercfordlhire : from its 

 fituatioii it derived its name ; Talgarth meaning literally the 

 front of the hill. Tiie town is a borough by prefcription, 

 but without privilege, jurifdiAion, or municipal officers. 

 The parifli church is a fubftantial edifice, but has no archi- 

 teftural elegance, nor is it enriched by any remarkable 

 monuments, ancient or modern : it has a tower, which forms 

 a confpicuous objeft from moft parts of the furrounding 

 country. The population of the parifti, which, befides the 

 borough, contains five hamlets, was in the year 1811 re- 

 turned to parliament as 1 1 24, the number of houfes being 

 274. No lefs than eight annual fairs are held here. 



In the Foreft hamlet of the parifli of Talgarth are fonie 

 veftiges of Dinas-caftle, which, at a remote period, was a 

 fortrefs of importance, but has long fince been demolifhcd. 

 In Leland's time, it was " ruinus almoft to the hard 

 ground." From his defcription, it muft have been of con- 

 fiderable dimenfions. It coufifted of three wards " waullid 

 about," and had three parks and a foreft attached to it. 

 From the fame writer we learn, that thecaftle was deftroyed 

 by the natives, that it might not be occupied by the favourers 



of Owen Glendwr Beauties of England and Wales, 



vol. xviii. South Wales, by T. Rees, F.S.A. CarUfle'* 

 Topographical Diftionary of Wales. 



TALGAUTPORAM, a town of Hindooftan, in My- 

 fore ; 6 miles S. of Bangalore. 



TALGRISTAN, a town of Perfia, in the province of 

 Irak ; 50 miles E. of Nchavend. 



TALGUL, a town of Hindooftan, in Myfore ; 10 miles 

 S.S.W. of Sirpy. 



TALHA-KIAMEN, a poft of Chinefe Tartary. N. 

 lat. 46° 16'. E.long. 123° 44'. 



TALHAM, a town of Auftria ; 2 miles S.S.W. of 

 Voglabruck. 



TALI, a town on the W. coaft of the ifland of Formofa. 

 N. lat. 23° 36'. E. long. 129° 41'. 



Ta-LI, a city of China, of the firft rank, in Yun-nan. 

 This is the principal place where they make curious tables, 

 and other ornaments of fine marble, which is got from a 

 mountain called Tienjung, and is naturally beautified with 

 different colours, in the form of mountains, flowers, trees, 

 and rivers. Ta-li has under its jurifdiftion four cities of the 

 fecond order, and three of the third; 1205 n.iles S.W. 

 of Peking. N. lat. 25° 45'. E. long. 100°. 



TALIA, in Ancient Geography, a town of the Upper 

 Moefia, on the route from Viminatium to Nicomcdia. Ant. 

 Itin. 



TALJARA, in Geography, a town of Bengal ; 46 miles 

 S. of Curruckdeah. 



TALIFAY, a town on the N. coaft of the ifland of 

 Lu?on. N. lat. 14- 21'. E. long. 123° 24'. 



TALIGALEA, in Botany, an unexplained name, 

 Aublet Guian. 625. t. 252. Jufl". 109, appears to be the 

 fame genus, and even the fame fpecies, as Amasonia of 

 Linnsus. (See that article.) The fruit of the latter 

 having been examined in a drier ftate, may folve all the 

 difficulty, 



Aublet defcribesTiis only fpecies, T. campejirls, as an herb 



with a perennial root, fometimes creeping. Slemt aunual* 



G 2 two 



